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Uxbridge is struggling to cope with the rain and that has meant desperate measures for champions Middlesex as they aim to protect their Division One status

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Uxbridge13-Sep-2017It is an image more suited to club cricket: players, coaches and higher-ups helping to shift the covers, working together to remove surface water built up on the tarpaulin, doing what they can to preserve the prospects of play in a must-win fixture. The setting, Uxbridge Cricket Club fit. Only the individuals involved – a number of Middlesex players mucking in with their managing director of cricket Angus Fraser – gave you a sense that this was not your usual scene. But here were the County Championship’s defending champions getting their hands dirty in a bid to save their Division One status.Outground cricket has long been different things to different people. Right now, it is proving a nuisance to Middlesex. They started the round just 13 points ahead of second-from-bottom Somerset, off the back of a ridiculous two-point deduction because of a poor over-rate that, had a crossbow bolt not brought play at the Oval to a premature close on the the final day, would have been fixed. Even Hampshire, in third but only 26 points ahead of Somerset, are not quite out of the woods.Only 31.1 overs of play were possible before the third and most damaging shower of the day ensure the outfield would take well beyond the scheduled finish time to dry effectively. By then, Hampshire had reduced Middlesex to 76 for 3, after a steady opening stand from Nick Compton and Sam Robson.The frustrations of both dressing rooms were evident. Before the game was called off, players from both sides made their way to the middle to inspect the ends of the square. That they were muddy was evident to all.”It’s very disappointing,” said Middlesex captain James Franklin, tracksuit caked in mud from an hour’s graft. “The ground is very wet as it stands, even before today. It was only a 10 or 15-minute shower and play was done for the rest of the day. It’s pretty frustrating for all concerned. I know everyone is trying their best.” Of that there can be no dispute.The groundsmen were on site as early as 4.30am, working to remove whatever remaining water there was on the outfield. Middlesex ensured they had more covers by raiding their two other outgrounds – Radlett (where their 2nd XI are playing Essex) and Merchant Taylors.While Merchant Taylors would have been the preferred venue, the start of the school year ruled that out as an option. As for Radlett, investment in the square a few years ago was supposed to prepare the ground for first-class cricket, but the club still have reservations over the pitch. As for Lord’s, the third Test was scheduled to finish on Monday, the day before this match began.While Uxbridge have done their best, their facilities are not equipped to produce and protect a surface and ground fit for Championship cricket after the deluge in north-west London over the last week. At a first-class venue, with better drainage, a greater number of groundstaff and state of the art covers, we would have already seen the best part of six sessions.”I don’t know of too many other counties that play outground cricket in September,” said Franklin. “Most of it is played in June and July. We’ve just copped it with the weather and we’ve been unfortunate in those first two days. We’ll just hope we get some good, dry conditions overnight and hopefully we can still get two full days of cricket.”There were notable moments before play began this morning. Middlesex handed Max Holden his debut cap. He impressed on loan at Northamptonshire earlier this season with two centuries in 16 innings that produced 629 runs – the county tried to retain him for the rest of the summer – he was presented his cap at the start of the day and ended it with a single to his name.With a number of England Test players returning for duty at other counties, Toby-Roland Jones was not available for this round, nursing a sore side which he picked up at Lord’s in the third Test against West Indies. It is a precautionary move for England and Middlesex to ensure he is fit for the final two matches of the season.James Vince, set to skipper this match with George Bailey away on World XI duty, pulled up with a hamstring injury in the warm-up and thus handed over captaincy duties to Jimmy Adams. Vince’s replacement in the XI, the brilliantly named 18-year-old Felix Organ, was drafted in for his first class debut. Due to the lateness of Vince’s injury, Organ had to be pulled out of a Hampshire 2nd XI match, meaning he was travelling to the match as his side took the field having opted to bowl first.Adams’ biggest call came early when he pulled Fidel Edwards from the Gatting Way End after a three-over spell that saw the Bajan lose his line, frustrated by an unresponsive pitch. It was also the end most affected by the rain and, as a result, was is a little bit of a slip-and-slide.So Adams shifted Edwards to the Pavilion End, replacing him with bustling seamer Ian Holland at the top. The result was Nick Compton bowled comprehensively by Edwards, followed by Stevie Esknazi nicking off to an excellent catch from wicketkeeper Tom Alsop, diving to his right to take a sharp low catch. In between, Holland drew Sam Robson’s edge which required a smart grab from Adams at second slip.By 4pm, with the ground empty, Fraser was still out on the square, pushing a pitchfork into the ground to remove the surface water. As bitterly frustrating as the circumstances are, you cannot fault the will of the hosts.

James Anderson has emerged as an injury doubt for the first Investec Test against Pakistan next month

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2016James Anderson has emerged as an injury doubt for the first Investec Test against Pakistan next month due to a stress fracture in his right shoulder blade.The ECB confirmed he will miss Lancashire’s County Championship matches against Middlesex and Nottinghamshire and that his availability will be confirmed nearer the opening Test at Lord’s on July 14.Anderson picked up the injury during the third Test against Sri Lanka earlier this month although it is understood not to be as serious as other types of stress fractures.”Due to the nature of the injury, Jimmy’s availability for the Pakistan Test series, commencing on July 14, will be determined following ongoing management and review by both the ECB and Lancashire’s medical teams,” an ECB statement said.Anderson, England’s leading Test wicket-taker, claimed 21 wickets at 10.80 in the three Tests against Sri Lanka, and despite the strength of England’s pace-bowling stocks, it would be a significant blow to lose him. In 10 Tests against Pakistan, Anderson has taken 45 wickets at 17.06 – his lowest average against any team.Anderson has had a slightly chequered injury record over the last year. He missed the final two Tests of last year’s Ashes series with a side strain and then the first Test against South Africa, in Durban, due to a calf injury.Should Anderson be forced to miss the opening Test against Pakistan, he could be replaced by Ben Stokes, who made his return for Durham in a T20 on Friday night, following knee surgery. However, Stokes is not yet ready to return to bowling duties, and England will be reluctant to rush back such a precious asset.Jake Ball, the uncapped Nottinghamshire seamer, was part of England’s squad throughout the series against Sri Lanka and would be another likely candidate to step in.

Mustafizur Rahman was the hero in Mirpur again, (off)cutting through India with a six-wicket haul to add to his five-for on debut, and launching Bangladesh to their first bilateral series win against India

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu21-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:17

Chopra: Nature of defeats will worry India

Mustafizur Rahman was the hero in Mirpur again, (off)cutting through India’s batting with a six-wicket haul to add to his five-for on ODI debut, and launching Bangladesh to their first ever bilateral series win against India. Mustafizur’s 6 for 43, the second best figures by a Bangladesh bowler in ODIs, skittled India for 200, before Shakib Al Hasan steered the chase with a busy fifty, his second on the trot.With this six-wicket win, Bangladesh also cemented their place in the 2017 Champions Trophy. An overjoyed Mashrafe Mortaza, who has been a part of each of Bangladesh’s five victories against India, toasted his team’s “big achievement”.

Why Bangladesh’s target was 200

When the rains came, India were already eight wickets down after 43.5 overs. Because the game was revised to 47 overs per side, India lost out on some batting opportunity, but that loss was minimal as they were already eight down at the time of the interruption. According to the DLS calculations, the batting resources denied to Bangladesh at the start of their innings, compared to what they would have had in a full 50-over innings, was marginally more than the resources India lost out on.
Had India been only five wickets down instead of eight at the time of the interruption, Bangladesh’s target would have been 214 even if India had eventually been dismissed for 200. That is because, according to DLS calculations, the potential to score runs in three overs would have been higher with five wickets in hand, than with two in hand.

Mustafizur struck with the second ball of the game, having Rohit Sharma drive away from the body to point for a duck, before coming back to dismiss Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Axar Patel in a decisive batting Powerplay that yielded three wickets for 17 runs. When Mustafizur got R Ashwin, he became only the second bowler after Zimbabwe’s Brian Vitori to claim five-fors in his first two ODIs.Mustafizur clapped till his hands hurt and he was mobbed by his team-mates. Mirpur raised itself to a big roar, lapping up its new hero. He would return after the rain break, which caused the target to be revised to 200 in 47 overs, to immediately bowl Ravindra Jadeja via a deflection off the pads.Bangladesh had a brisk start to their chase, slicing 71 runs off the target in 15 overs. Tamim Iqbal lobbed Dhawal Kulkarni to slip for 13 off 21 balls, Soumya Sarkar was pinged on the badge of the helmet, and there were edges aplenty, but all of it was brushed aside.Though Soumya was not in fluid touch, with drags and heaves counterbalancing the orthodox drives from the previous game, he added 52 with Litton Das. The spinners briefly helped India claw their way back, Sarkar and Litton falling within four overs of each other. Ashwin, aided by close catchers, preyed on Bangladesh with sharp turn and extra bounce. Dhoni tried to manufacture a game with his spin quartet but Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim, who was spilled by Raina on 9, assumed charge and added 54 in 9.5 overs.By the time Mushfiqur was run out for 31, the asking rate was under three, and eventually Shakib ‘s calculated 51 off 62 balls put the seal on the landmark win with 54 balls to spare.However, it was Nasir Hossain who had set the stage for Bangladesh earlier. After trapping Virat Kohli lbw in his second over with a skiddy ball to end a 74-run partnership, he beat a well-set Shikhar Dhawan in the 21st over. Nasir went on to complete his quota for only the second time in ODIs, conceding 33 on both occasions.Kohli’s 27-ball stay was an indifferent one. He missed out on a couple of half-volleys and even absentmindedly offered a back-foot defence to a free hit.Upon Kohli’s dismissal, Dhoni hiked himself up to No.4 for the first time since July 2012. He began positively, unleashing a jabbing punch off the sixth ball he faced and sent it blazing through the off-side ring. He followed it with a similar shot for a similar result off his tenth ball. Dhoni and Dhawan then traded caps for helmets and kept the scorecard ticking, taking India to 100 by the 19th over.Despite the early loss of Rohit, Dhawan was fluent from the outset, lashing four fours on the off side, including successive drives off Mashrafe in the tenth over. He brought up his fifty off 54 balls but perished soon after when he charged down the track to Nasir and edged to Litton, who had taken over the gloves from Mushfiqur for this match. Litton had managed to redeem himself after dropping Dhoni on 20 three balls earlier.Ambati Rayudu, who replaced Ajinkya Rahane, did not last long and departed for a duck in the 22nd over. Taskin Ahmed and Mashrafe took a cue from Mustafizur and suffocated India further by pulling some pace off the ball.The visitors needed some breathing space, which was provided by Dhoni and Raina through a steady 53-run stand, only the second partnership of note. However, tight bowling, backed up by predatory fielding meant that no boundaries were scored for a period of 46 balls between the 27th and 35th overs.The pressure finally told with Mustafizur accounting for Raina off the third ball of the batting Powerplay with an offcutter. By the time Dhoni failed to pick another offcutter and chipped to Sarkar at short cover, India had slumped to 174 for 6. Axar was out off the next ball, bagging his third duck in his last four innings and the third duck of the innings. Ashwin averted the hat-trick but was out nicking behind for four in Mustafizur’s penultimate over.Rain soon arrived at the score of 196 for 8 to hand India a reprieve lasting a little under two hours, but the damage had already been done by Mustafizur.

Darren Sammy has said his team’s failure to build on a 132-run fourth-wicket stand between Kieron Pollard and Darren Bravo with another substantial partnership was what cost West Indies the fifth game

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur09-Dec-2012Darren Sammy has said his team’s failure to build on a 132-run fourth-wicket stand between Kieron Pollard and Darren Bravo with another substantial partnership was what cost West Indies the fifth game and the ODI series. Bangladesh succeeded where West Indies failed, Sammy said, and that was the difference between the teams.”We had a good partnership but we crumbled again,” Sammy said. “We didn’t capitalise on the Bravo-Pollard partnership. We then got early wickets but the difference in the game was the Mominul [Haque]-Nasir [Hossain] partnership. It came after the captain [Mushfiqur Rahim] and Mahmudullah had a big partnership.”We also didn’t take our catches today. I dropped a crucial catch before that partnership developed. I’m a guy who believes everything happens for a reason, and I think they deserved to win the series.”West Indies made a poor start and played out 34 dot balls from the fourth to the ninth over, during which time they were reduced to 17 for 3. The counterattacking innings from Pollard, who hit eight sixes in his 74-ball 85, and the sizeable fourth-wicket partnership with Bravo set it up for a late surge, with the likes of Sammy and Andre Russell still to bat. But West Indies didn’t manage that and had to settle for a mediocre total.Bangladesh’s partnerships came after they also lost three early wickets, all to Kemar Roach. They first recovered through a 91-run stand between Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur and then another 53-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Nasir and Mominul. The 28-run stand between Nasir and Sohag Gazi for the seventh wicket was also crucial, as it took Bangladesh close to their target of 218 runs.”We haven’t played our best cricket in this series but we still were in with a chance to win the series. I would never blame anyone. We have to pull together as a team. It is not every day that the same people will perform,” Sammy said. “We got it from Kemar [Roach], who took five wickets, and [Kieron] Pollard and [Darren] Bravo with the bat today. We need more performances from everyone in the team.Sammy hoped to end the year on a positive note. “This has been a good year for us. We won four Tests in a row and the T20 World Cup. We would have loved to win this series but we didn’t.When we look back at this year, I wouldn’t say it is a step backward. We played as well as we could. Monday would be our last international this year and we will look to finish on a high.”

Abhishek Nayar has played one of the best innings of his first-class career but Karnataka have the chance of an outright victory

The Report by Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai19-Nov-2011
Scorecard
Abhishek Nayar has the chance to score a second double-century in as many games•Fotocorp

Regardless of the outcome of this match, Abhishek Nayar has played one of the best innings of his first-class career. It was an innings that was played in isolation, a completely contrasting knock to those of the rest of his team-mates, who erred in their shot-selections on a pitch which demanded one thing: patience. Nayar showed that in abundance for the second match in a row at the same venue and now has an opportunity to complete a second-consecutive double-hundred tomorrow.He could not reach the milestone on the third day because of dehydration and cramps, the same reasons that forced him to return to the dressing-room against Rajasthan last week. On that occasion he managed to return, score 245 and secure the three first-innings lead points for Mumbai. The chances of an encore tomorrow remain slim. Karnataka are tougher opponents, their bowlers are more disciplined and most importantly Mumbai have only two wickets remaining and need a further 132 runs to avoid the follow-on. The three points for a first-innings lead are all but gone for Mumbai, who finished the day 354 for 8 in response to Karnataka’s 635, and they will have to battle to avoid an outright loss.It could have been a different story for the hosts if the rest of their batsmen had not made mistakes. Ajinkya Rahane lunged forward to a delivery from R Vinay Kumar, which had pitched inches shorts of a good length on off stump. Rahane could easily have left it alone or played off the back foot. Instead he stretched forward into an ungainly position, trying to play too far away from his body. The resultant thick outside edge travelled straight to KB Pawan at short gully. Rahane, who is part of the India squad for the third Test against West Indies starting next week, had added just one run to his overnight score of 23.Vinay nearly trapped Rohit Sharma lbw with the incutter, which had accounted for Mumbai’s captain Wasim Jaffer the previous evening. Vinay has developed a delivery with the new ball that lands on the outside of the seam and nips in to the right-hander. The ball hit Rohit’s back pad slightly high and the appeal was turned down. Rohit continued having problems reading Vinay’s lengths and clever variations.He was lucky when Vinay, in his next over, failed to pouch an easy return catch. Though Rohit started to get into the groove with some nicely-timed drives, there remained a certain desperation about his batting. In the final over before lunch, Abhimanyu Mithun smartly delivered a short-pitched delivery well outside off. Rohit went for an unnecessary pull and played on to be dismissed for 64.Only yesterday, speaking to the media after his call-up to the Test squad, Rohit had said that the biggest thing he had learned from speaking to the likes of Duncan Fletcher, the India coach, was the importance of temperament. Yet for the second time in two weeks Rohit has played an irresponsible shot and failed to go on to play a really big innings.Suryakumar Yadav has turned heads with his belligerent half-centuries in the previous two matches of the season. But Karnataka set him up nicely, packing the off-side field and putting in two short covers. Yadav, playing just his fourth first-class match, worked hard to remain calm yet was visibly tempted to play his shots. He was unable to resist a full delivery from Stuart Binny and played a half-hearted off drive only to spoon an easy catch to the cover fielder. It was the first of Binny’s three wickets in the day.After those mistakes, the only reason Mumbai were afloat was Nayar, who Milind Rege, the Mumbai chief selector, calls the “most improved player in domestic cricket.” Nayar would happily accept such a distinction. And why shouldn’t he.The Rajasthan match was the first time he had batted at No. 3. He may have had concerns about batting higher than his usual middle-order position as the prospect of facing the new ball is not always pleasant. In any case he had no choice. The Mumbai selectors had decided Nayar was the perfect choice for the crucial one-down position.According to Rege, a No. 3 batsman needs to be a complete stroke-maker. He needs to have the temperament, the character and the shots. If you looked at Nayar’s wagon-wheels (strangely hidden from public view due to the BCCI’s rules) you’d see that he played his shots all around the wicket. Cuts, drives, flicks, pulls, sweeps, steers, glances, reverse-sweeps, paddle-sweeps – Nayar can play the whole gamut of strokes. And importantly he has developed the ability to refrain from playing those strokes if they are not needed.Today, he left several deliveries alone; the 145 dot balls in his 216-ball stay so far indicates he is ready to bide his time at the crease. Unlike Rohit, he rotated the strike frequently, taking 43 singles. Against Rajasthan, Nayar had not been afraid to play his strokes. Today he was more circumspect yet played fluently. He gave Karnataka just two chances. Both came before he had reached his fifty. First Robin Uthappa dropped him at short exta-cover off Mithun and then the bowler himself failed to intercept a straight drive that flew just over his head.Otherwise Nayar remained stoic. All his shots came along the ground. He never played any cross-batted strokes. Like the Karnataka pair of Manish Pandey and Amit Verma on the first two days, Nayar knew that to succeed on such a slow and harmless pitch you had to wait for the ball. He brought up his half-century by sweeping KP Appanna, the left-arm spinner, who continued to bowl on Nayar’s pads. He took advantage of the poor line and moved quickly towards his century.Nayar moved from 88 to 96 with consecutive boundaries off Vinay. Both strokes were fluent cover drives, played on the up with the full face of the bat. In the past, Nayar has struggled to play that shot convincingly but today he proved he could do anything. A fierce cut got him past another century. His grit was admirable and he battled through recurring wrist pain in his left hand before dehydration forced him to retire.

By May 2011, three major changes to the shape of the South African cricketing landscape will have taken place

Firdose Moonda21-Nov-2010By May 2011, three major changes to the shape of the South African cricketing landscape will have taken place. A new national coach will have started work as Corrie van Zyl steps down and a new one-day international captain will take over the reins from Graeme Smith. Off the field, one or more new sponsors will take over Standard Bank’s deal which includes sponsorship of the national one-day and Twenty20 teams, all Twenty20 international matches and the domestic 20-over competition.On Friday, the financial institution announced its decision to pull out of all sports sponsorships when its current contract expires in May next year. It had pumped over R100 million (US$ 14.3 million) a year into Cricket South Africa (CSA), which included funding the National Cricket Academy, High Performance Programme, Schools Pro20 Challenge, Schools Development Programme and Under-13 National Cricket Week.Standard Bank announced its decision on the same day as a CSA’s internal commission of inquiry into bonus payments made to chief executive Gerald Majola revealed its findings. Majola was cleared of all charges of financial impropriety but will have to pay back R28,169 (US$ 4,024) that was spent on travel for his children. The commission found that Majola had made an “error of judgement” by not declaring the bonuses through CSA’s remunerations committee but the CEO escaped with a formal caution.CSA President Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka said there was nothing sinister about Standard Bank making public its decision not to renew its sponsorships on the same day as the investigation into Majola’s bonuses concluded. “The reasons for Standard Bank not renewing its contract with CSA are clear, they are economic issues,” Nyoka said.Standard Bank is also cutting ties with South Africa’s two most popular football clubs, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, but insiders say there is more to the decision than pure mathematics. Rumours in cricketing circles are that Standard Bank felt it was not getting its worth from CSA, while the cricketing body was tired of coping with the Bank’s constant demands.CSA put on a brave face when the announcement was made and said that they have no doubts about lining up other sponsors. Vice president AK Khan said there has been “a tremendous amount of interest from other parties.” Early suggestions are that some of the existing sponsors may enter into Standard Bank’s territory. CSA are currently sponsored by Castle beer, cellular telephone operator MTN, and fast-food company KFC, but may look to engage another global sponsor.The hunt for a new national coach is also on. Van Zyl announced in October that he will be stepping down as national coach after next year’s World Cup and returning to his post as head of the High Performance Programme. He is part of a five-person committee that will seek a replacement.Also on the committee are Majola, Andy O’ Connor, chairperson of CSA’s Cricket Committee, and Andrew Hudson, the convenor of selectors and a representative of the SA Cricketers’ Association.

Venkatesh Iyer has been named vice-captain after being bought back by KKR for INR 23.75 crore

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2025Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have appointed Ajinkya Rahane as their captain for IPL 2025. Venkatesh Iyer has been named vice-captain.”It’s an honour to be asked to lead KKR, which has been one of the most successful franchises in the IPL,” Rahane said in a team statement. “I think we have an excellent and balanced squad. I look forward to working with everyone and taking up the challenge of defending our title.”Based on KKR’s strategy at the IPL mega auction last November, Rahane may not have been part of their initial plans, going by how the bidding unfolded. He was unsold when his name came up the first time on day one of the auction, and was only bought by KKR at his base price of INR 1.5 crore when his name came up again as part of the accelerated round on the second day, just before the auction ended.Related

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• Venkatesh Iyer 'definitely ready' to captain KKR at IPL 2025

“We are delighted to have someone like Ajinkya Rahane, who brings his experience and maturity as a leader,” KKR chief executive Venky Mysore said. “Also, Venkatesh Iyer has been a franchise player for KKR and brings a lot of leadership qualities. We are confident that they will combine well as we start the defense of our title.”This will be Rahane’s second stint at KKR, having played for them in 2022, when he scored only 133 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 103.90. After that year, Rahane had a rejuvenation at Chennai Super Kings (CSK), for whom he scored 326 runs at a strike rate of 172.48 in 2023. IPL 2024 wasn’t as productive for Rahane and he was released by CSK after making 242 runs at a strike rate of 123.46 last year.Rahane’s leadership has been highly rated in the past – he was captain when India won a Test series in Australia in 2020-21 – and he is respected on the domestic circuit where he has led Mumbai to several titles, most recently the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Rahane was the highest run-scorer in that tournament – 469 runs at a strike rate of 164.56 and an average of over 58.His previous captaincy experience in the IPL spans 25 matches: one for Rising Pune Super Giant in 2017, and 24 for Rajasthan Royals across 2018 and 2019. He was replaced by Steven Smith midway through the 2019 season.KKR are the defending IPL champions•AFP/Getty Images

Iyer, after not being one of KKR’s six retained players ahead of November’s mega auction, was bought back by the franchise for INR 23.75 crore. He was the fourth-most expensive purchase in IPL auction history.KKR is Iyer’s only franchise in the IPL so far. He has been with them since 2021. He was a key player in their title-winning campaign last year, scoring 370 runs at a strike rate of 158.79. In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, he said he was “definitely ready” to lead KKR if offered the captaincy.KKR are hosting the season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens on March 22 by virtue of having won the title in 2024. They beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in last year’s final – their third title – under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, who was not retained and is now captain of Punjab Kings (PBKS).With KKR announcing Rahane, the only team yet to name a captain is Delhi Capitals (DC). Rishabh Pant had led DC last year but was not retained and will lead his new team Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2025.

Pakistan team director was particularly unhappy with Rizwan’s dismissal, saying “there was no conclusive kind of evidence” for the umpire’s initial not-out decision to be changed

Alex Malcolm29-Dec-2023Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez believes “inconsistent umpiring” and the “curse” of the decision review technology cost Pakistan a famous Test victory over Australia at the MCG.Chasing 317 for victory in the fourth innings, Pakistan needed 98 runs with five wickets in hand when Mohammad Rizwan was adjudged caught behind off the wristband of his glove via a DRS review from Pat Cummins having initially been given not out on field by umpire Michael Gough.Third umpire Richard Illingworth decided there was conclusive evidence via both Hotspot and Real-Time Snicko that the ball had come off the wristband of the right glove and not off his forearm as Rizwan had protested to the on-field umpires.Related

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That decision sparked a massive collapse as Pakistan lost 5 for 18 to lose the game inside four days and lose the series 2-0 with one Test remaining. Hafeez blamed the umpiring and the use of the DRS technology for the result.”We made some mistakes as a team, we will take that, we will address those things, but at the same time I believe inconsistent umpiring and technology curse [has] really given us the result which should have been different,” Hafeez said in the post-match press conference.”I feel like these are the areas that need to be addressed. I spoke to [Rizwan] and he’s a very honest person. He said he did not even feel that it touched anywhere near the gloves. And what we saw, there should be conclusive evidence to reverse the decision of the umpire. That’s what I know. The umpire gave it not out and there was no conclusive kind of evidence where the decision has to be turned over.”Former ICC umpire Simon Taufel spoke on Channel Seven’s broadcast in Australia in the aftermath of the Rizwan decision and believed that the third umpire had made the right call.”For me, conclusive evidence was the ball on top of that wristband attached to the glove, with the spike [on Snicko],” Taufel said. “Very comfortable from where I’m sitting that Richard Illingworth the third umpire had conclusive evidence to overturn that decision.”Cummins, who claimed the wicket of Rizwan and finished with five wickets in the innings and 10 for the match, also felt the evidence was conclusive.”I thought it was worth review and then [it was] clearly off the gloves strap,” Cummins said.Hafeez was also aggrieved about the umpire’s call aspect of the DRS in reference to the lbws in the game. He did not specifically mention which decisions he was unhappy about but Pakistan were left frustrated on day three when both Mitchell Marsh and Steven Smith had survived tight lbw calls via umpire’s call during their match-winning 154-run stand.Marsh shouldered arms to a ball that nipped back from Hasan Ali on 26 and was given not out by Gough who deemed it wasn’t hitting off stump. Pakistan reviewed with ball-tracking showing it was clipping off stump but not enough to overturn the decision. He went on to make 96. Smith was later hit on the pad by Aamer Jamal on 45 and was also given not out by Gough, who deemed it was missing leg. Ball-tracking showed it was clipping leg but it was umpire’s call and the decision remained. Smith only made five more runs.In the fourth innings, Imam-ul-Haq was given out lbw to Cummins by Gough on field. Ball-tracking said it was umpire’s call on hitting the middle and leg bail and Imam remained out.Earlier in the second innings of the match, Shaheen Shah Afridi was given out lbw to Nathan Lyon by Gough and it remained out on umpire’s call.Hafeez felt that the technology was inconsistent and unacceptable.”Technology, I’m in favor of that, but [only] if it’s giving you benefit,” Hafeez said. “But if it’s bringing some doubts and bringing some curse into the game, it should not be accepted by anyone.”Sometimes the technology brings some decisions which obviously, as a human we don’t understand.”The ball hitting the stump is always out. Why is it umpire’s call? I never understand that. So I think there are a lot of areas that need to be addressed for the betterment of cricket in general. I think technology is something that is taking away from the instinct of the game.”Cummins was the victim of a DRS decision himself while batting in the third innings. He was given out caught behind off Jamal by Gough. He reviewed it convinced he had not hit it. There was no evidence on Hotspot of the ball making contact with the bat, but there was a tiny murmur on Snicko as the ball passed the bat and that was enough for the third umpire to uphold Gough’s decision.”I didn’t think I hit it,” Cummins said.”I thought I missed it by a bit. So obviously something showed up on Snicko. Again, one of those ones that can go either way. Kind of got to accept this decision.Cummins believed the technology is as good as it can be and tends to even itself out across the course of a game or a series.”I don’t know what the alternative is,” Cummins said. “I think it’s pretty good. Umpire’s call is obviously 50-50. But I think it does even itself out. I think it’s as good as it can be. So I think it’s good for the game. There’s always going to be moments that you kind of rue or you wish were looked at a little bit differently or maybe technology picked up a little bit differently, but I think it’s pretty good.”The two sides had one umpire’s call each go against them in the first Test in Perth. Hafeez said he would not raise the issue with the umpires or the match referee as he didn’t think it would make a difference despite maintaining his view that it had affected the result.”Personally it won’t bring any difference because at the end of the day we all watch the game and we will notice some of the areas obviously as a cricketer we don’t understand,” Hafeez said. “And we play this game for the fans and the fans will never understand why this technology is inconsistent. And the result of the game basically comes up differently.”

The identity of the new rights holder has not yet been disclosed, with the ICC board set to make that call on Saturday

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Aug-2022There will be no second-round e-auction for the ICC media rights after a clear winner – or winners – emerged when the sealed bids were opened on Friday. The identity of the winner/s for the right to broadcast ICC events in India has not been disclosed yet – the ICC board makes that call on Saturday after a recommendation is sent to it by the media-rights advisory group appointed to adjudicate on the bidding process.There has been no official communication from the ICC on whether a solitary winner won both the TV and digital rights or whether there were separate winners in the two categories. What is also not yet confirmed is whether the rights have been sold for four years or eight, as the ICC had kept the tenure of the rights flexible, in order to exploit the best number commercially.Related

• ICC eyes $4 billion-plus media rights money for Indian market

• Four major broadcasters concerned over transparency of ICC rights bidding

Though the value of the winning bid is unlikely to be made public, the ICC is believed to have set a base price of USD 1.44 billion (for a four-year deal) and USD 4 billion for an eight-year one. Its last rights deal, for eight years, was worth approximately USD 2.1 billion. Because of the changing nature of the market and especially the digital streaming landscape, as well as the increased number of ICC events in this cycle, the expectation was that any new deal would be considerably bigger than the last one.A total of six packages were on sale with the sealed bids opened on Friday at the ICC headquarters in Dubai in the presence of the bidders. It is learned that four bidders participated, including Disney Star*, Sony, Viacom and Zee.After facing mounting pressure from the bidders over the past month over concerns about the transparency of the process, the ICC had said that an e-auction would take place as a second round of bidding should the value of the two best bids in the first round be within 10% of each other.By Saturday, it is expected that the ICC Board comprising 17 directors will discuss the recommendations of the rights advisory group and announce the identities of the winner/s. The five-person advisory group includes ICC chair Greg Barclay, Ross McCollum (the chair of the ICC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee), Anurag Dahiya (the ICC’s chief commercial officer), Richard Freudenstein (finance & commercial affairs director) and BCCI acting CEO Hemang Amin.

This is the first time in Pakistan history three bowlers have taken five wickets in a single Test

Danyal Rasool10-May-2021It took exactly five overs on the fourth day for Pakistan to take the solitary wicket they needed to complete a 2-0 clean sweep over Zimbabwe, bowling them out for 231 and winning by an innings and 147 runs. Shaheen Afridi was the man to make the breakthrough, coaxing Luke Jongwe into a drive the batsman could only edge through to the wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.

Taylor gets one demerit point for showing dissent

Brendan Taylor got one demerit point and an official reprimand for showing dissent at the umpire’s decision after he was adjudged caught behind in Zimbabwe’s second innings. The incident took place in the 37th over, when Taylor pointed to his thigh pad and held his head after being given out.

Taylor was found to have breached Level 1 of Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. It was his second offence in a 24-month period, taking his cumulative demerit points to two.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

It saw him complete a five-wicket haul, becoming the third Pakistan bowler in the Test to do so after Hasan Ali and Nauman Ali. This is the first time in Pakistan history three bowlers have taken five wickets in a single Test, and just the sixth time overall. Despite the bowling heroics, it was Abid Ali who scooped up the Player of the Match award for his first double-century.The day began with Jongwe looking to farm the strike, ensuring he faced Afridi while Muzarabani was left to negotiate the less menacing Tabish Khan. The pair looked largely comfortable with this arrangement, but with Zimbabwe having little hope in the wider context of the game, it was only a matter of time before the breakthrough would arrive. Pakistan will fly home content with the way they came back in the Test series after the indifferent T20I leg.Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will rue their performances in two rare Tests against high-quality opposition, and gear up again for a series against Bangladesh later this year.